JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU – THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

The name of God that is the subject of this post is used only by the prophet Jeremiah and only twice.  The context of each is significant to the future in connection with Bible prophecy.  In each instance the LORD is revealing His plan to place a righteous descendant of David to serve as King on the throne of Israel from which he will rule over the whole earth.

Jeremiah 23:5-6 “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.  In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Jeremiah 33:14-16 “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.  In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.”

The fulfillment of this prophecy is critical to the testimony of the character of YHWH, the self-existent, eternal God.  Scripture everywhere declares that God is a covenant keeper and that His word never fails.

When God established David on the throne of Israel, He promised that David would never lack a descendant to his throne and that his kingdom would endure forever.

2 Samuel 7:8–16 “Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel…I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more… And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever…thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.”

Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

The people of Israel were scattered among the nations due to God’s judgment for rejecting the Messiah; the nation was no longer recognized as and entity among the family of nations.  There is still no descendant of David on the throne in Israel.  Just as surely as Israel has reemerged from the boneyard of the nations of history as prophesied by Ezekiel…

Ezekiel 37:1–11 “The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones…and, lo, they were very dry….Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. …. and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel….”

…so too will the LORD establish His King, Jesus His Son and the son of David, on the throne of David to rule the world.

Luke 1:30–33 “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”

Revelation 20:4 “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

After that thousand years Satan and those who chose to follow him will be condemned to eternal punishment, and the eternal throne of God will be established in the new heavens and earth from the New Jerusalem.

Revelation 21:1–5 “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”

Revelation 22:3 “And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:”

I could get off on a whole other tangent, but will restrain myself.  There is one more thing, however, that stood out to me as I read this name--THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.  It is only in Jesus that we can be declared righteous before God; He is literally our righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:18–21 “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ….For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

It is still beyond my understanding how God can love us so much!  I am so grateful for His love and forgiveness.  One of my favorite verses connects with the heart of the Psalmist.

Psalms 17:15 “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.”

When I see God’s face, He will see me pure and righteous through the blood of His Son.  Finally, I will reflect a true likeness of His image, the image we were created to reflect, the image of our Creator.  I can hardly wait!

(to be continued…)

JEHOVAH-SABBAOTH – THE LORD OF HOSTS

The subject name of this post is introduced in the book of 1Samuel.  “The LORD of hosts” makes reference to God as the leader of a great army of His servants.  It is a name that alludes to the great power of God and is the name that David claimed in faith as he faced the mighty Goliath.

1 Samuel 17:45 “Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.”

I believe that this address was in recognition of the might army of angels that serve God on our behalf as revealed to the eyes of Elisha’s servant in answer to Elisha’s prayer.

2 Kings 6:16–17 & 20-21 “And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”

Other scripture supports the truth that God’s armies of angels are fighting in the spiritual realm to bring about God’s purposes on behalf of His people in the physical realm. 

2 Kings 19:32&35 “Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it….And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.”

1 Chronicles 21:15 “And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand.”

Daniel 10:12–13 & 20-21 “Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia…. Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.”

Hebrews 1:13–14 “But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”

Even mighty King Nebuchadnezzar recognized this truth. 

Daniel 4:34–35 “And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?”

It is also important to note from the verses in Daniel 10 that God’s angels are waging war with evil spiritual forces that are also working to accomplish their own purposes in the physical realm.  Paul clearly states that believers are in a constant battle against these evil forces—the forces of Satan.

Ephesians 6:11–12 “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

The name the “LORD of hosts” is used in recognition of the truth that God can and does intervene on our behalf according to His will to accomplish what seems to us to be impossible.  Hannah prayed to the “LORD of hosts” with a desperate plea for a son and a vow to give him back to the service of the LORD.  She prayed with faith in the LORD of hosts as having all power—even the power to make a barren woman conceive and give birth to a child, and not just a child, a son.

1 Samuel 1:11 “And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.”

Important to bible prophecy is the truth declared in scripture that it is the “LORD of hosts” that is not only the God of Israel, but also of the whole earth.  It is He who is our Redeemer, and the day is coming when He will be revered among all the nations.

Isaiah 54:5 “For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.”

Isaiah 45:22–23 “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”

Malachi 1:11 “For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.”

No matter how many times the nations of the world call for the nation of Israel to be wiped off the face of the map, the “LORD of hosts” has declared that Israel will stand before Him as a nation just as surely as the sun, moon and stars shine in the heavens.

Jeremiah 31:35–36 “Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.”

In light of the fact that the scripture identifies the days in which we live as the times announcing the soon return of the LORD Jesus to establish His kingdom, every child of God should be living in accordance with the words of the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 8:13 “Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.”

We should live so as to bring honor to His name.  We should have a healthy fear of Him as Judge and Avenger and do our best to declare the gospel so that others may escape the wrath to come.  The best way to share that truth is to live in obedience and faithfulness to our Redeemer, the “LORD of hosts,” and follow His example to serve one another in love.

(to be continued…)

JEHOVAH-SHALOM – THE LORD OUR PEACE

In today’s post we are going to look at God’s name that declares Him to be “The Lord our peace,” Jehovah-shalom.

Judges 6:23–24 “And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom:”

In context this name of God was used by Gideon to name the altar that he built to commemorate God’s call to him to deliver the people of Israel from the Midanites.  Gideon’s call was delivered by the Angel of the Lord.  When the Angel left him, Gideon realized that he had just seen the Lord face to face.  This made him very afraid since scripture records that God told Moses that no man could see His face and live.

Exodus 33:20 “And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.”

Evidently the LORD then spoke to Gideon in some way and assured him that he could be at peace because he would not die.

The Hebrew for the word “peace” includes being safe, happy, healthy, prosperous and at rest.  I think Gideon’s thoughts in building the altar were not only focused on being happy that he would live, but also on the rest that would come to his people when God made him prosper against the Midianites.

God will do no less for any one of His children serving Him according to His will than He did for Gideon.  My life verse is Isaiah 26:3.

Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

Just as surely as Gideon’s peace and victory against the enemy was assured by God, I believe my victory and peace is just as sure.  However, that peace and victory is predicated on my faith—keeping my heart and mind stayed upon the Lord.  The Hebrew for the word “stayed” makes reference to being propped or leaning upon God as your strength and resting in His provision to uphold and sustain you.

I am always saddened when I hear Christian teachers try to limit our access to the promises of God.  Many of our precious promises are rooted in promises that God made to His people Israel.  Every believer today is just as privileged and sanctified (as discussed in the previous post) as they.  God set apart Israel to show mankind the benefits of following Him as LORD.  The principles He established for His people then are just as valid for His people now.  He is not fickle.

Malachi 3:6 “For I am the LORD, I change not….”

Psalms 33:11 “The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.”

James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

It is God’s desire to strengthen His people and bless them with peace.

Psalms 29:11 “The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.”

Another way to maintain the peace of God in our hearts is to “love His law,” His word.  Meditating on His word and hiding it in our hearts is another way of keeping our minds “stayed” on Him and avoiding sin.

Psalms 119:165 “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.”

Psalms 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

In sad contrast to the child of God who has been made righteous through the blood of Jesus, scripture declares that the wicked will never know peace.

Isaiah 57:21 “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.”

Contrary to popular opinion, nothing this world has to offer can give one peace—money, possessions, fame, popularity, business success, etc.  They can only provide temporary pleasure.  To possess such things apart from a healthy relationship with the Lord always feeds an insatiable desire to want more.

Though God promises peace to His children who trust Him, we need to understand that peace does not equal a trouble free life full of sunshine and roses.  Jesus very clearly told His disciples that they should expect to experience suffering.

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

The key point being that in spite of any tribulation we might face in this world, we can still have peace.  Our hearts can be at rest because we understand that what awaits us in eternity far more than compensates for anything we may suffer in this life.

2 Corinthians 4:17–5:1 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.  For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

1 Corinthians 2:9 “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

It is very important to understand that the peace of God can only be ours through faith in Jesus.  We can only experience the peace of God by having peace with God.  Until we accept the gift of salvation through faith in His Son Jesus, we remain enemies of God. 

Romans 5:1–2 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

Romans 5:8–10 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”

(to be continued…)

JEHOVAH-MEKODDISHKEM – THE LORD WHO SANCTIFIES YOU

The name that is the subject of this post appears in the following scripture.

Exodus 31:12–13 “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.”

In context, these verses introduce a section of scripture explaining the importance of keeping the Sabbath.  To be sanctified speaks to being made holy, pure, and morally clean—to be set apart for God’s use.

Exodus 13:2 “Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.”

Sanctification describes both one’s position before God as well as one’s condition before God.  It is clear in scripture that the work of sanctification in one’s life is a work of the Holy Spirit, but scripture also declares that we are accountable in that process as well.  It is also clear in scripture that our sanctification is only made possible through the sacrifice of Jesus.

When the Lord revealed Himself to Saul on the road to Damascus, He called him to be a disciple to the Gentiles to call them to repentance and forgiveness of sins so that they could be positioned among those who are “sanctified by faith that is in Me.”

Acts 26:15–18 “And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”

The writer to the Hebrews affirms that it is only through the sacrifice of Jesus that one becomes one of the sanctified ones.

Hebrews 10:10 “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Once we have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf in faith and repentance, we are privileged to receive the indwelling Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our position among the sanctified as well as to help us in the process of becoming more sanctified in this lifetime.

2 Corinthians 1:21–22 “Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”   

“earnest” = something given in advance as security for the rest to be received

Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

Note that Paul is telling the Corinthians that their lives should be different from others in the world; they should live righteously.  He is also telling them that they are empowered to live righteously because they have been washed clean by the blood of Jesus and are empowered through the Spirit of God as affirmed by the words of Jesus recorded by Luke in Acts. 

From the very beginning God declared to His people that they were to be holy and set apart because they belonged to Him.  They were to be distinct among the nations for their righteous living.

Leviticus 20:7 “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.”

One of the proofs of the sincerity of one’s faith is that you have chosen to “depart from iniquity.”  In his letter to Timothy Paul identified vessels of honor that were set apart as useful to the good work of God as those that were choosing not to practice sin.

2 Timothy 2:19–21 “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”

This was actually part of the Lord’s prayer for His disciples.  He asks the Father to keep them from evil and sanctify them through His word.

John 17:15-17 “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

Keeping us from evil is the work of Holy Spirit.  It is through the Spirit that we grow in the truth of God’s word and produce fruits of righteousness.

John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

Galatians 5:22–23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance….”

Ephesians 5:8–9 “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)”

In closing I want to include a few more scriptures on sanctification that are important in connection with prophecy.  The day is coming when the house of Jacob, the people of Israel, will sanctify and honor God as LORD.

Isaiah 29:22-23 “Therefore thus saith the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.  But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.”

Despite what the nations choose to believe, God has sanctified or set apart the nation of Israel as His and the land of Israel as the place of His sanctuary.

Ezekiel 37:28 “And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.”

Despite what people choose to believe about the one true God, the God of Israel, the day is coming when all the heathen will recognize God as Lord.

Ezekiel 38:23 “Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.”

(to be continued…)

JEHOVAH-NISSI – THE LORD OUR BANNER

We continue our study of the names of God with a look at the name Jehovah-nissi, the Lord our banner.

Exodus 17:15–16 “And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

The context of this scripture is again during the wilderness wanderings.  The people of Israel had fought with the Amalekites, and their success was dependent on Moses keeping his hands holding the rod of God raised toward heaven.  After their victory Moses built an altar and named it Jehovahnissi.   The Hebrew indicates that the name makes reference to a standard, a sign pointing to the one under whose authority they were fighting.  The people of Israel were fighting under the “banner” of the self-existent, eternal God, the all-powerful Creator. 

Every person that places faith in God through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus benefits from that same protection and empowerment.  I think it is significant to note that this name appears in direct reference to victory in warfare against the enemy.  Our enemies are God’s enemies when we are striving to act in obedience and submission to His will. 

The fact that victory was dependent on the lifted hands of Moses I think is a picture of the importance of prayer as we engage in the fight against the enemy—be it the flesh, wicked men or the devil and his cohorts; and I think scripture supports this thought.

Psalms 28:2 “Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.”

Psalms 141:2 “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”

Lamentations 3:41 “Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.”

1 Timothy 2:8 “I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”

The fact that Moses was holding the rod of God in his lifted hands testified to the fact that those prayers were rooted in their faith in the power of God.  They were not fighting in their own strength; they were looking to God to provide the victory.

The Exodus account also points out that Moses had to have help in keeping his hands raised; he got weary in the midst of the battle.  Though we too will often find ourselves becoming weary and weak in the midst of the battle, we can be assured that Jesus Himself is interceding on our behalf.

Romans 8:27&34 “And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God….It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”

It was interesting for me to find that this word for banner is the same word that was used in reference to the pole upon which was lifted the fiery serpent to which the people could look and find healing from the poisonous bites of the serpents that God had sent in judgment upon them. 

Numbers 21:6–8 “And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.”

This is an obvious picture of the salvation that is offered every person who will look in faith to Jesus who was lifted up on the cross in sacrifice for our sin.  It is consistent with the picture of the Lord as our banner, the One from whom we can seek protection and strength through the prayer of faith.

There was one other reference to the Lord as our banner that stood out to me in light of prophecy.

Isaiah 11:10 “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.”

In context this scripture is addressing the time when Jesus is on the throne of David as the King of kings when He establishes His earthly kingdom for 1,000 years.  It is a time when many of the effects of the curse will be lifted, and peace and safety will be the norm rather than the exception.  Jesus Himself, the root of Jesse, will be the “banner” to whom the Gentiles will seek as the people of the world finally acknowledge their true King.

(to be continued...)